The present invention relates to a supply hopper assembly for use in a product transporting apparatus of a type capable of transporting products successively from one station to another while they are received in and retained by respective pockets on a rotary drum which are communicated with a source of vacuum.
There is known a product transporting apparatus which comprises at least one rotary drum supported for rotation in one direction and having in the peripheral surface at least one circumferential row of a plurality of radially inwardly recessed pockets, some of which successively receive therein a corresponding number of the products during each complete rotation of the drum for the transportion thereof from a take-in position towards a take-out position spaced angularly from each other around the rotary drum. The apparatus also comprises means for causing some of the pockets to be communicated with the vacuum source for enabling the products to be sucked into and received in the corresponding pockets, and means for causing the pockets to be successively communicated with a source of compressed air during the continued rotation of the rotary drum to enable the products so transported to be ejected onto a subsequent processing station at the take-out station.
An example of the above described apparatus is disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,889,591, patented June 17, 1975, and U.S. Pat. No. 3,933,239, patented Jan. 20, 1976, both assigned to the assignee of the present invention.
In particular, U.S. Pat. No. 3,889,591 discloses the use of a hopper assembly positioned at the supply station for supplying the products onto the rotary drum. This known hopper assembly has a plurality of blow holes defined in the bottom plate, inclined downwardly towards the rotary drum, which blow holes are communicated with a compressed air source so that some of the products within the hopper assembly can be held in a fluidized state, and also comprises a rubber idle roller operable to ensure that each pocket receives an individual product therein from the hopper assembly.
It has, however, been found that the construction of the known hopper assembly is not satisfactory because of the fact that, when the rotary drum is rotated at a relatively high speed, the products tend to roll in contact with the periphery of the rotary drum being rotated, oftentimes failing to be received in the associated pockets then communicated with the vacuum source.